Our Role & Impact

Jennie Thomas Medical Research Travel Grant

Decades of research has demonstrated the important role of cardiovascular fitness for health (Blair et al., 1996). Consequently, ‘aerobic’ physical activities have long been prescribed to children and adolescents. However, recently updated physical activity guidelines now recommend 5 to 18 year olds also regularly engage in muscle-strengthening physical activities (MSPA) (Department of Health, 2014).

Negative public perceptions of youth participation in MSPA may undermine the widespread adoption of this health-enhancing activity. Therefore, there is a need to enhance public understanding of the benefits and safety of this type of physical activity through high quality research and communication of findings to key public stakeholders. The aims of my research are to better understand the prevalence and determinants of participation in MSPA, and to build evidence regarding the feasibility and efficacy of delivering MSPA in different settings. In particular, I am interested in the design and evaluation of novel strategies for promoting resistance training in schools and in community settings with various targeted populations.

The purpose of this travel grant application is to support my attendance at the 2016 Physical Activity and Public Health (PAPH) postgraduate research course sponsored by the University of South Carolina’s Prevention Research Centre and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 8-day course, which will be held in Columbia, South Carolina from the 13th to 21st September, serves post-doctoral personnel and is designed to develop research competencies related to physical activity and public health. The faculty for the courses is composed of nationally recognised experts in public health research and practice. In addition to attendance at the PAPH research course, I plan to visit the Children’s Physical Activity Research Group (CPARG) at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina.